Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-11-04

eh? One doesn't like to be rough, you see;
and they look regular blues, don't they,
eh:''
By this tine Good had already begun his
lessons with the haudsomest of the three,
and so with a sigh l yielded. That day
everything went very well, the young L.
dies were certainly very clever, and they
only smiled when we Numbered. / never
saw Good so attentive to his books before,
and even Sir Henry appeared to tackle Zu-
Vendi with renewed zest. ''Ah, thought
I, will 1t always be thus?"
Next day we were much more lively; our
work was pleasingly tnterspersed with
questions about our native country, what
the ladies were like there, etc, all Of which
we answered as best we could in Zu-Vendi;
and heard Good assuring his teacher that
her loneliness was to the beauties of Europe
as the sun to the moon, to which she re-
piled with little toss of the head that she
was plain teaching woman and nothing
else, and that it was not kind "to deceive
a poor girl So" Then we had a little sing
ing that was really charming, so natural
and unaffected. The Zu-Fendi love-songs
are most touching. On the third day we
were all quite intimate; Good narrated
some of his previous love affairs to his fair
teacher, and so moved was she that her
tears were mingled with his own. l dis
coursed with mine a merry blue-eyed girl,
upon Zu-Eendian art, and never saw that
she was waiting for an opportunity to drop
q specimen of the cockroach tribe down
my back; whilst in the corner Sir Henry
and his governess appeared, SO far as
could judge, to be going through lesson
framed on the great educational principles
laid down by Wackford Squeers, Esq,
though in n very modified or rather spirit
allied form The lady softly repeated the
Zu-Vendi word for hand" and he took
hers; eyes" and he gazed deep into her
brown orLs; clips" and-but just at that
moment ny young lady dropped the cock
roach down my back and ran away laugh
ing Now if there is one thing | loathe
more than another it is cockroaches; and
moved quite beyond myself, and yet laugh
ing at her impudence, I took up the cushion
she had been sitting on end threw it after
her. Imagine then my shame, my horror,
and my distress, when the door opened,
and, attended by her body-guard, in
walked NUCpthG. The cushion could not
be recalled (it missed the girl and hit one
of the guards on the head, but instantly
and Intellectually tried to look as though l
had not thrown it. Good ceased his sigh
ing, and began to murder Zu-Fendi at the
top of bis voice, and Sir Henry whistled
and looked silly. AS for the poor girls,
they were utterly dumbfounded
And Nyleptha! She drew herself up till
her frame seemed to tower even above that
of the tall guards, and her face went first
red, and then pale as death.
ri oh Dr1iat chplraf
voice, and pointing at the fair but uncon-
scious disciple of Wackford Squeers, Stay
me that, woman"
The men hesitated, as well they might.
''Will ye do my bidding" she said again
| it the same voice, cor will ye not?"
Then they advanced upon the girl with
uplifted spears. BY this time Sir Henry
had recovered himself, and saw that the
comedy was likely to turn into tragedy.
Stand back" he said in voice of thun-
der at the same time getting in front of
| the terrified girl "Shame on thee, Ny
leptha-shame! Thou shalt not kill her"
Doubtless thou hast good reason to try
to protect her Thou cOuldst hardly do
| less in honor" answered the Infatuated
queen; "but she shall die-she shall die"
| and she stamped her little foot.
at is we'll" ho answered, then / viii
die with her. | am thy servant, oh queen;
do with me even rs thou wilt" and he
bowed toward her, and fixed his clear eyes
cOntemptuously on her face.
81 could wish TO slay thee, too" she an
! svycred, "for thou dost make n mock of
me-" and then fceni25- that she was mas
tered, and l suppose not knowing what
else to do she burst into such 40 storm Of
tears, and looked so royalty lovely in her
passionate distress that, old as [ am, Must
say envicd Curtis his task of supporting,
her. 1t was rather odd to see him holding
her in his arms, considering what had just
passed; q thought that seemed to occur to
herself, for presently she wrenched herself
free and went leaving us all much dis
turbed.
Presently, however, one of the guards
returned with q message to the girls TINT
they were, on pGin of death, to lejf?srS~aE@
city and return to their homes in the coun-
try, and that no further harm would come
to them; and accordingly they went, one
Of them remarking philosophically that it
could not be helped, and that it was a sat
isfaction to know that they had taught US
a little 5erviceable Zu-Eendi. Mine was
an exceedingly nice girl, and overlooking
the coCkrOach, | made her present of my
favorite lucky siXpence with n hole in it
when she went away. After that our
former masters resumed their course of
instruction, needless to say to my great re-
lief.
That night, when in fear and trembling
we attended the royal supper-table, we
found that Nyleptha was laid up with
bad headache. That headache lasted for
three whole days; but on the fourth she
was present at supper as usual, and with
the most sweet and gracious smile gave
Sir Henry her hand to lead her to the
table. No allusion was made to the little
affair described above beyond her saying,
with n charming air of innocence, that
when she Came to see us at cur studies the
other day she had been seized with giddi-
ness from which she had only now recov-
cred. She supposed, she added with a
touch of the humor that was common to
her, that it was the sight of people working
so hard which had affected her.
In reply, Sir Henry said, dryly, that he
had thought she did not look quite herself
on that day; whereat she flashed one of
those quick glances of hers at him, which,
if he had the feelings of man, must have
gone through him like knife, and the
subject dropped entirely. Indeed, after
the supper was over, Nyleptha coudescend-
ed to put us through an examination to
see what we had learned, and to express
herself well satisfied with the results. In
deed. she proceeded to give us, especially
Sir Henry. a lesson on her own account,
and very interesting we found it.
And all the while that we talked, or
rather tried to talk, and laughed, Sorais
would sit there in her carven ivory chair,
and look at US and read us all like book,
only from time to time saying few words
and smiling that quick ominous smile of
hers, which was moro like a flash of sum
mer lightning on dark cloud than any
thing else And as near to her as he dared
would sit Good, worshiping through his
eyeClass, for he really was getting serious
ly devoted to this somber beauty, of whom,
speaking personally, l felt terribly afraid.
l watched her keenly, and soon / found
out that, for all her apparent impassibility,
she was at heart bitterly Jealous of Nylep-
tina Another thing found out, and the
discovery filled me with dismay, and that
was that she also was growing devoted to
Sir Henry Curtis. OF course, l could not
be sure; it IS not easy to read so cold and
naughty a woman, but ! noticed one or
two little things; and, as elephant-hu8taTs
know, dried grass shows which way the
wind has set.
And so another three months passed over
rs, by which time We had all attained to a
very considerable mastery Of the Zu-Vendi
language which is an easy ono to lenrn